Can you help Danni??

Danni came into Foal Farm to be re homed by her previous owners as due to personal circumstances they could no longer care for her. Following a thorough examination by our vet, Mark Nelson BVMS MRCVS of Nelson Veterinary Surgery, we found out she had Elbow Dysplasia which is a genetic disease causing abnormalities of the elbow joints.

Because of the severity of her condition, Danni needed an operation an expensive operation (approx £2,000) to allow her to recover and lead a normal life. Danni is only 2 years old and without this operation she will not have been able to live a full life and will have been in a lot of pain.

Danni was referred to Noel Fitzpatrick Duniv MVB CertVR CertSAO MRCVS of Fitzpatrick Referrals.

Danni has now undergone the operation she needed. A huge thank you to Noel Fitzpatrick who has kept the costs as low as possible as we are a charity.

Foal Farm is a charity organisation and receives no Government funding. We rely entirely on donations from the public and wthout our generous supporters we would not be able to care for Danni, or any other animal in need.

You can help by donating to the ‘Danni Appeal’ fund* where funding will go towards Dannis’ operation and subsequent treatment to help Danni recover from this condition.

All enquiries in relation to donating to the ‘Danni Appeal’ should be addressed to the fundraising team at fundraising@foalfarm.org.uk

*any surplus funds raised will be used to fund other veterinary treatments

Buster gets his Bronze!

I have been a very busy boy and it has taken me ages to find the time to update my blog. So, what have I been up to?

Well, firstly I have been awarded the KC Good Citizen Bronze Award at my training classes. I was on my best behaviour that day and my mum was very proud of me.

I've been to a few local dog shows and won myself some rosettes. I entered an online dog show and won 1st prize for Most Handsome Dog. I'm proving to be extremely good at agility (although I'd apparently be better if I'd learn to listen and contain my excitement) and my family would like to find me some fun classes to attend.

I have settled into a nice routine at home and it feels to all of us like I've been here forever. Even the cat doesn't seem to mind me much anymore. In fact it's now been over 10 months and we will be having a big celebration at the end of August when I've been here for a year.

I shall be coming back to visit everyone at Foal Farm during the childrens summer holidays.

Lots of licks to everyone there.

Buster xx

Long time no see!

I can't believe it's been over 2 months since I last posted. I have been very busy and time has just flown by.

I did enjoy the snow we had a couple of week ago. It was so deep that it covered me completely, and I had to jump like a lamb to get through it. We all went sledging and had great fun. The snow clung to my fur in snowballs but I didn't care. As soon as they'd been cleaned off me, I went straight back out for more!

I have a new friend. His name is Toby and he's a 4 month old Pomeranian puppy. He was a bit shy when we first met but within minutes we were playing and we didn't stop til he had to go home. The picture above is of me and Toby - dont we look happy?!

We have started clicker training and I'm really enjoying it! Now I understand better what my family are asking me to do. I have learnt lots of tricks. I can sit, stay, down, rollover, give paws (both of them!), beg and do "high 5". And someone once said I was untrainable!

I still attend training classes and really enjoy it, as does my mum. We are thinking about joining an agility class when the weather improves a bit. My family say that I am mostly a very good boy, although I sometimes have selective hearing when it comes to recall. They also say that they want to work on my behaviour around the chickens so that when Summer comes maybe we can all be in the garden together. I can't help it, I just find the chickens soooooo exciting, especially when I run at them and they flap about.

I've been with my new family for almost 6 months now. They say they are so glad they found me and I won't let on to them, but actually I feel the same!

Ho Ho Ho

As you can see, I'm getting into the festive spirit!

My family have been buying lots of Christmas presents and have raised a few £££s for Foal Farm by shopping online via www.easyfundraiser.org.uk. Also changing the search engine to http://foalfarm.easysearch.org.uk/ raises money. It's really easy to do and doesn't cost us anything.

I had great fun at the Christmas party at my training classes, although my mum made me wear this outfit which was a bit embarrassing (but at least she left my shoes off as the floor was too slippery to wear them). I did really well at all the party games. I even got to take home a party bag.

We popped in at Foal Farm last week to drop off a little box of goodies for all the dogs that will be there over Christmas. It was lovely to see everyone and have them make such a fuss of me!

I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I hope 2009 brings lots of happy homes for all the animals that need them.

Love and licks

Buster

xx

Buster's holiday

I've been on my hols to Devon. I went with my friend Nedley (a big black labrador) and our families. We had a lovely week. We stayed on a working farm and spent our time walking and playing on the beach. The beaches were very big and there were lots of friendly dogs to play with. I had a brief holiday romance with a pretty yorkie-poo puppy. She was just the right size for me!

All that playing was very tiring though, and I spent my evenings laid out on cushions in front of the fire.

It took a long time to get to Devon in the car but I managed to sleep for most of it. My family worried I might get car sick but I was fine. I even managed to keep down the tuna roll I stole from the packed lunch when everybody was busy packing up the car.

I was quite sad when we had to come home. I liked it in Devon and I wanted to stay there. My family have promised they will take me on holiday again with them soon.

Buster's great achievement!

I am very proud to say I have passed my Good Citizen Puppy Foundation Assessment. Here I am showing off my rosette.

I can now (with sufficient bribery) perform lots of commands such as sit, stand, down and stay down. I can walk on a lead without pulling. I can even come back when called (as long as there's something in it for me). Obviously I don't always choose to do these things - well, I have to keep these humans on their toes don't I? Not good to let them think they are in charge! However on the day of the assessment I decided I would behave perfectly. I've done so well that I'm now starting my Bronze Award training.

I've settled in really well in my new home now. It feels like I've been there forever. My new family are starting to understand what I want and we are all getting along great. They still insist on this silly "getting out of bed before lunchtime" thing, but other than that I have no complaints.

I had a little visit back to Foal Farm a few weeks ago and it was lovely to see all my friends there. I hope to come and see you all again soon.

Lots of Licks

Buster xx

I'm Buster and I came to Foal Farm in summer 2008. I wasn't there for long before some people came along and begged for me to come home with them. So I said goodbye to my friends at Foal Farm and off I went.

My new family brought me home and introduced me to their cats. To say I didn't get a warm reception is putting it mildly! Honestly, these cats have no manners whatsoever. But being the brave little guy that I am, I took it all in my stride. There are also some chickens in the garden and they look like great fun. I'm desparate to go and play with them but I'm not allowed. Just because I make them squawk and flap about. Some people have no sense of fun.

The children in the family seem to enjoy having me around. They like to play with my toys although they are not good at sharing, because when I try to play with their toys they take them away.

For some odd reason, everybody likes to get up early in the morning and go for a walk. And they make me come too! I'd much rather stay in bed (especially when it's raining) but they always insist.

All in all, my new family aren't doing too badly and they are gradually coming round to my ways of thinking. They just need to learn that I don't need my own special food (what they eat or what they give the cats will be fine with me), that I don't need my own bed (one of theirs will be fine), and that there really is no need to get up quite so early in the morning. I am taking them to training classes this week so fingers crossed these points will be covered there.

I hope to come back and visit you all at Foal Farm soon.

Lots of love to all my friends there!

Buster
xx